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Thursday, 2 February 2017

Carley and Fraser's Humanist Wedding at Kirknewton Stables

My reputation depends entirely on word of mouth, and there are two groups of people whose good word I particularly treasure: wedding planners and photographers.It's obvious really: they see lots and lots and lots of registrars, ministers, priests and celebrants, so if they like me, I know I must be doing something right!Carley Buick is a talented hard working designer and photographer: I've worked with her a lot, both as a second shooter for Julie Tinton and Marc Millar, but increasingly in her own right, so when I heard that she wanted me to marry her, I was dead chuffed. That was back in November last year. Now, returned from a honeymoon in Venice, I thought it would be a good time to get her and Fraser to do a little Q and AWhy did you choose Kirknewton Stables?We wanted somewhere not too far from Edinburgh where we could do our own thing - decor, food and drink wise and also have the whole day there as we didn’t want to be moving around between venues... theres not many places that tick all those boxes!

Kirknewton is a gorgeous blank canvas. I first saw it about 10 years ago when I worked there with Mackenzie's catering and loved it then and had always kept it in mind for my own wedding. Fraser and I went to see it shortly after we got engaged and luckily he loved it too!Why did you choose a humanist wedding?I have never been religious so for me it felt wrong to have a religious ceremony, and I always felt that registrar services were quite impersonal and mostly about the legalities!

It’s through being a photographer that I first was introduced to humanist ceremonies and I alway love the ethos behind them and of humanism in general, it really sums up how I feel.

The ceremonies are so personal to the couple and always invoke a lot of smiles and laughter! I also think its lovely how your ceremonies always acknowledge those who are religious and offers them a moment for silent prayer - it's lovely to allow everyone to enjoy the ceremony in their own way.

Fraser didn’t have much experience of humanist ceremonies, but he looked into it and agreed it seemed the perfect way for us to get married. He loved how personal the services are, and how involved we would be in writing it.

You both looked amazing! Where did you find your outfits?

Carley: Dress was from Rachel Scott Couture with the gold top made by my clever Mum.

Fraser: Custom made suit from Kinloch Anderson, tie made by Carley's clever Mum!Given that you are a photographer, was it tough deciding who would shoot your wedding?

Not at all! I'm so lucky that I’ve worked along side Julie and Marc for a few years now and they have become good friends as well as being amazing photographers! I really couldn’t have thought of anyone else photograph our day and I loved that they both have such different styles and captured it in their own way.The same goes for Barry Best, who did our video and who I met though working alongside at other weddings too. I thought it might have been weird being on the other side of the camera but Fraser and I actually really enjoyed going away with them for our pictures as we all just had a bit of a laugh in the process!

It was great fun and the photos and video all turned out stunning, we are so delighted with them.

How did your guests feel about the ceremony?

So may people commented on how they loved the ceremony, how it was personal to us, wasn’t too short or too long and told our story… and was so well told by you too!

There were two guests at Carley and Fraser's wedding that I know really well because they were both at my own wedding a couple of years ago. One of them was my stepdaughter, Claire, and the other was her boyfriend Craig, so I thought I'd ask them what they thought about it. Craig said "I've been to lots of humanist weddings over the last couple of years, but Fraser &Carley's was the best because it seemed fully personalised. You didn't stand and read from a book or an iPad. It felt like you were part of the celebration rather than an outsider stepping in for the day."

And Claire said, "Everything was sincere, the crowd laughed and the ceremony was all about Carley and Fraser and their friends and family. Not just about their story but about all their their personal and light-hearted quirks like Fraser's new TV (which he got!)"

As a totally professional and invariably punctual photographer, tell me how you felt when you realised you were going to be late for your own wedding…This still upsets me! It’s one of my biggest regrets of the day. I started to get really anxious about an hour and bit before we had to leave and I realised my makeup hadn’t been started yet, I think maybe because I knew the girls I had been too polite about hurrying up and I’m not entirely sure why we seemed to run over so much!

So when my parents arrived at 12.15 I was nowhere near ready and the process of getting my dress and all the finishing details on was rushed and stressful! I really wish we had time to all stand and have a glass of bubbles together and just enjoy a moment before leaving but that went right out the window! All I can remember is running round in my dress stressed because I couldn’t find my house keys!

It also meant the trip in the van to the ceremony with my dad which I was so looking forward to was’t as enjoyable as I was just worrying about being late! My Dad (who’s usually very calm!) was also getting anxious which in turn made me feel worse! Doing what I do I know how important it is to be on time and I was gutted that I wasn’t.

I was SO thankful the guitar player was late and only got there a minute before me also!

As I said to Carley, it really didn't matter to me, but the lesson for any bride to be is obvious: build in more prep time, and stay chilled!

What’s your one truly unforgettable memory of the day?

Carley: I’m not sure I can pick just one, there’s so many and yet it’s all such a blur at the same time! I’ll always remember saying my vows and looking right at Fraser.

I loved the time we had just the two of us getting our photos taken too, it was a little slice of time away from all the madness!

Fraser said he has lots of different memories of all the different parts of the day… seeing all his family i the morning at The Raeburn, me coming up the aisle, getting our pictures taken in the grounds of Kirknewton and hearing the speeches during dinner are all his key moments.

Finally, do you have any advice for other couples getting married?Don’t do things because you think :that's the way it should be done" or because other people expect you to.

Do it your way and enjoy the process! Fraser says"enjoy your engagement - and the planning!"I absolutely LOVED conducting Fraser and Carley's wedding, and you can see from these great photos from Marc Millar and Julie Tinton that they loved it too. I'm sure that Carley and I will work together again soon, but it was lovely to see her looking so beautiful on the other side of the footlights for once!So, thanks again you two, and of course thanks to those top shooters, Julie Tinton and Marc Millar for their great pics!

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About Me

Since October 2005, I've been conducting funerals, naming ceremonies and weddings as a Humanist Celebrant, and it's the most enjoyable and rewarding work I've ever done. If you'd like to get in touch, please click here to send me an email, or call 0777 0555 224